13 A meaningless, we rejected it – TNA MP

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian M.A. Sumanthiran
admitted that the 13th Amendment to the Constitution is ‘meaningless’
and that the TNA had rejected it right from the start.

Parliamentarian Sumanthiran made this statement in Parliament on
November 9, though it was not highlighted in the media. “The Thirteenth
Amendment to the Constitution is something that we had rejected right
through as being meaningless,” the TNA Member of Parliament told the
House.

UPFA parliamentarian Sajin De Vass Gunawardena questioned Sumanthiran
on the TNA’s stance on the 13th Amendment, on the same day. But
Sumanthiran interrupted Gunawardena. Vass Gunawardena told Parliament on
Friday that he would be making a statement on Sumanthiran’s views
expressed on November 9 and requested Sumanthiran to be present in
Parliament on Saturday (17). When Vass Gunawardena questioned the TNA
MP’s double standards and raised questions on his stance during the
second reading of the Budget 2013 yesterday, Sumanthiran was not present
in the Chamber.

Though Sumanthiran was present in the Parliament Lobby, he evaded
facing Vass Gunawardena and answering questions on the TNA’s stance on
the 13th Ammendment.

MP Vass Gunawardena said the TNA has not been united in finding a
solution to the aspirations of the Tamils as various MPs express
different views from time to time. “Sumanthiran tells one thing and his
leader R. Sampanthan tells another. Until they are united, it will be
difficult to find a solution to the problems of the people in the North
and the East,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sumanthiran had even demanded the abolition of the 13th
Amendment since it is meaningless.

“If not, there will be no purpose in the 13th Amendment remaining in
the statute books and it can be abolished,” he wrote to the blog
dbsjeyeraj.com on October 28, 2012.